President Barack Obama’s selection of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense sets off what’s likely to be the biggest confirmation fight over a Cabinet nominee since Obama took office.

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Obama: Hagel for sec. of defense

Kristol-founded group's attack ad

Photos: What they're saying about Hagel

The battle over the contrarian ex-senator from Nebraska is shaping up to include some of the tools of combat usually reserved for Supreme Court nominations. Hagel’s opponents have already taken to TV, albeit with a modest cable buy in the Washington area. And his supporters have returned fire with a paid advertising effort of their own.

The fierce opposition in some quarters is far from guaranteed to derail his confirmation since Democrats control the Senate and many senators in both parties say they’re generally inclined to confirm whomever the president chooses. Hagel has his supporters among old colleagues in the Senate, as well as a coterie of former national security officials, think tank scholars and liberal pundits — many of whom have emerged to denounce criticism of Hagel as misguided and unfair.

Here’s POLITICO’s look at five groups that could pose a threat to Hagel’s confirmation:

The Pro-Israel crowd

Hagel has drawn anger from pro-Israel groups over the years for opposing some sanctions on Iran, refusing to sign letters urging a tougher line toward Hezbollah and endorsing policy papers that urge moves toward negotiations with Hamas.

“The Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,” Hagel told former Mideast peace negotiator Aaron David Miller in a 2006 interview. “I have always argued against some of the dumb things they do because I don’t think it’s in the interest of Israel.”

Those kinds of remarks have drawn strong attacks from pro-Israel groups such as the hawkish Emergency Committee for Israel, which took out a TV ad declaring that Hagel is “not a responsible choice.” Hagel’s Mideast views have also drawn scathing comments from Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

“Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be secretary of defense, would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense towards the State of Israel in our nation’s history,” Graham said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Not only has he said you should directly negotiate with Iran, sanctions won’t work, that Israel must negotiate with Hamas, an organization, terrorist group that lobs thousands of rockets into Israel. … This is an in-your-face nomination by the president to all of us who are supportive of Israel.”

Criticism of Hagel hasn’t been limited to neo-conservatives or Republicans. One of the most respected leaders in the U.S. Jewish community, Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, told POLITICO that Hagel has a “checkered record on Israel.”

Some of Hagel’s language “borders onto conspiratorial. … At the very least, it’s of concern to the American Jewish community, at the very most, it’s very troubling,” Foxman said last month.

Some who have worked with Hagel on foreign policy issues say the attacks are absurd and that his views on the Mideast are mainstream.

Readers' Comments (47)

Hagel is an appeaser of Iran--the closest country to the Nazis that we've seen in decades. He's acting like Neville Chamberlain regarding the Iranian nuclear threat. He's also pro terrorist (supporting both HAMAS and Hizbullah) and he's homophobic.

Moreover, the President is missing a perfect opportunity to appoint the first female Secretary of Defense EVER and women were his largest constituency during the election. He has recently lost three women in Cabinet positions: Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice and Lisa Jackson.

Hagel wouldn't be a puppet for Yahooo and the Israeli lobby , that's a disqualifier as far as the Republicons are concerned . High time that the United States declares it's independence ... from Israel .

Hagel not only didn’t dodge the draft, he actually volunteered to go fight in Vietnam, and was twice wounded in combat. Those experiences became a valuable lens through which he has examined decisions about war ever since.

Its easy to throw names at someone. But answering about the strategy of signing every single letter sent to congress by a lobby? When do you get out, how much lives will be lost? what will be the blowback? will that give us safety home and abroad?

We might be in Afghanistan for the next 10 years. We have bases all road the world.

Hagel's nomination is good news for America and shows that Mr. Obama can stand up to lobbyists and is an independent thinker. While some are lamenting the non-advancement of the other candidate, Michele Flournoy, it's with good reason she didn't, and shouldn't, advance.

Michele Flournoy signed the PNAC doctrine in 2005. The PNAC doctrine you may recall is the blueprint for placing American bases in strategic locations in the middle east to control the world's oil supply. This policy is the 1997 war hawk doctrine which the GW Bush/Cheney administration used to push the U.S. into war with Iraq under false pretenses.

The Iraq War was one of the biggest and costliest blunders in the history of U.S. foreign relations. The human and material costs, including an ultimate fiscal and economic toll in the multiple trillions in addition to the political and diplomatic damage, have been immense.

Chuck Hagel is a decorated Vietnam veteran who served as the deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration and currently co-chairman of Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board, along with a member of the secretary of defense's Policy Advisory Board.

More importantly, this nomination signals Mr. Obama's desire not to go to war with Iran but to deal with Iran through diplomacy and dialog.

It should be noted that whereas the warmongering AIPAC crowd opposes Hagel, the pro-peace pro-Israel J Street Lobby supports Hagel. This latter group is much more representative of American Jews. Tom Friedman endorses Hagel in the NY Times 12/26/12, stating that Israel needs people willing to speak the truth. Abe Foxman, on the other hand, is infamous for unfairly branding critics of Israeli policy anti-Semitic. It keeps him in business.

People hate Israel, we support America not Israel. The American's are now going thru what the Palestine people are. Our tax money being scammed by zionist wall street, infiltration of filth zionist into our government and soon gutting the 2nd amendment. These people are no good, they been thrown out of every country they have tried to scam--read your history folks.

Huge mistake by the President. People like me who supported the President are now going to bitterly oppose him on the issue; and bet that there are many moderate Democrats like me who oppose Hagel. Look, the Defense Secretary has to carry out the President's objectives. But having a Secretary of Defense who is weak on terror and an appeaser of evil regimes; and having made border-line anti-Semitic and truly homophobic comments is not someone we need representing us. It makes us appear weak. The Hagel nomination must be opposed by all of us who value freedom and human dignity for all people. Whether LGBT Americans or Iranians oppressed in Iran. We must stand for freedom and human dignity; something Hagel has consistently stood against. We need not an appeaser of evil. I think that the President made a huge mistake and that Hagel's nomination will end up being a loser for the President as his nomination simply won't get through the Senate. Big mistake Mr. President..

Most of the fuss with Sen. Hagel's nomination is about his Israel comment about the Pro-Israel lobby's control over our foreign policy, and yet the Pro-Israel lobby is trying to block his nomination. So how is the Pro-Israel lobby not controlling our foreign policy if they are choosing our Secretary of Defense??? I think their objection is proving his comment true!

Iran the closest country to the Nazi's that we have seen... you make me laugh. You don't see them turning the country into a Persian state like the Germans were trying to turn the country into a German state.. But wait, there is one country in the world doing this right now.. that's right.. Israelis are trying to turn their country into a Jewish state deport and getting rid of any other races and types of people or cultures. In fact, Israelis don't shy away from admitting that they want Israel to be a Jewish, and in the very words of PM Netanyahu, Israel must be a country of Jewish people, not a mix of Arabs and Jews..

I agree!! Most of the fuss with Sen. Hagel's nomination is about his Israel comment about the Pro-Israel lobby's control over our foreign policy, and yet the Pro-Israel lobby is trying to block his nomination. So how is the Pro-Israel lobby not controlling our foreign policy if they are choosing our Secretary of Defense??? I think their objection is proving his comment true!

Israel, just like any other nation, needs to shut up and stay out of American politics.

We all realize that 80 or so House republicans along with their extended families receive all expenses paid vacations led by pack leader Cantor may be disgruntled by Hagel's pragmatism. I'd expect that their paid vacations will continue with or without Hagel.